National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Focus Group Study

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB#: 0925-0648, Exp. Date: 03/2018)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Focus Group Study

PURPOSE:

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) communicates the results of its investments in research to a variety of audiences, which include the public, scientists, health professionals, and other stakeholders in oral health. Specifically, NIDCR has a number of publications for oral health professionals, but these are under utilized. The NIDCR director has made a priority of bridging the gap between oral health research and practice. Towards this end, NIDCR is collaborating with the American Dental Association (ADA) to gauge the science interests of practicing dentists and understand how NIDCR can be more effective with communication both to and from this important group.

Both NIDCR and ADA have information on the science interest of dentists, but these oral health professionals have already shown an interest in research. To gain a better understand of the science interest of a broader group of dentists, NIDCR would like to conduct a series of focus groups with practitioners. The focus groups will be comprised of a mix of general dentists and specialists, who are currently in practice. This will allow NIDCR to better understand these customers, who are vital to implementing the results of dental, oral, and craniofacial research. It will also allow NIDCR to receive detailed feedback on science information specifically written for dentists and better understand the communications channels that will be most effective in reaching these important customers. The feedback gained from these focus groups will enable NIDCR to better design communications products to bridge the gap between research and practice in oral health.

NIDCR proposes a series of 60-minute focus groups with dentists who have recently entered practice and those who are more established. Within each group, participants will provide feedback on their interest in science and how they prefer to receive information. They will also provide specific feedback on a sample article written for dentists. The focus groups will be conducted in the Washington, DC and Chicago regions to allow leadership from NIDCR and ADA, respectively, to view. Dentists in these areas will be recruited from ADA membership and screened for eligibility using the attached criteria (see Participant Recruitment Screener). The focus group moderator’s guide (also attached) details the 60-minute sessions. The eight focus groups will be divided into four sets of recent practitioners and four sets of established practitioners as their answers may vary depending on their time out of dental school. The feedback received from these groups will guide future NIDCR communications efforts in reaching this important segment of customers.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Each focus group will consist of nine practicing dentists. There will be a mix of general dentists and specialists in each group. Four groups will consist of those who are within 10 years of receiving their dental degree. Four groups will consist of those with 10 years or more of practice experience.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[X] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:__David Vannier______________________________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [X ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

Note: Participants will provide their name and contact information so they can receive details on arriving to the focus group location.    

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

Participating dentists will be given $75 cash for their time (from arrival, through session, and to departure), travel, and parking.

ESTIMATED BURDEN HOURS and COSTS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	No. of Responses per Respondent	Time per Response (in hours)	Total Burden Hours
Dentists, General and Specialists (for-profit)	72	1	60/60	72 hours
Totals	72			72 Hours

Category of Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Wage Rate*	Total Burden Cost
Dentists, General and Specialists (for-profit)	72	$100/hr	$7,200
Totals	72	$100/hr	$7,200

*Cite source per bls.gov if applicable

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $33,496

Staff	Grade/Step	Salary	% of Effort	Fringe (if applicable)	Total Cost to Gov’t
Federal Oversight
Chief, Science Communication Branch	14/6	$60.87/hr	2%		$1,460.88
Travel to Chicago, 2 nights					$1,500.00
Contractor Cost			223.5 hr		$18,935.12
Contractor Travel					$2,400
Other Cost	Facility rental				$2,000
	Participant reimbursement				$7,200
Total					$33,496

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

• Invitations to the focus group will be sent to practicing dentists via the American Dental Association. The Participant Recruitment Screener is attached.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[X ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

4